Bruny Island Tasmania
"Bruny
Island south of Hobart in south-eastern Tasmania is most famous for its
birdlife."
But it has also got some great nature and scenery, sandy
beaches, coastal heathland, and some rainforest with plants endemic to
Tasmania. There are also some spectacular cliffs of Jurassic
dolerite,
a rock not found on the mainland
Australia.
Listing by Chitika
Great way to visit this beautiful island:
TOURS
TO BRUNY FROM HOBART
Aboriginal History
The island is also known for its history. Many famous Tasmanian
Aboriginal People lived on Bruny,
including the woman who is sometimes referred to as “the last
Tasmanian Aborigine”. In fact, many descendants of Tasmanian aborigines
do live on today. There are some Aboriginal sites on the island, like
middens, quarries and artefacts.
By Geoff Murray. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Plants, Birds and Animals
The plant life of the island is also interesting, with many endemic
species like the eyebright
Euphrasia
fragosa, and some different plant
communities like heathlands, eucalypt scrubs and eucalypt forests, and
the coastal communities that are affected by the spray of salt water.
Many bird watchers head to Bruny to see the island’s rich bird
life. There are more than 120 bird species here, such as the hooded
plover, spotted pardalote, tawny-crowned honeyeater, Australasian
gannet, ground parrot, and large colonies of muttonbirds and penguins.
Animals include
echidnas, brushtail
possums, Tasmanian pademelons and
Bennetts
wallabies; and marine animals such
as
seals and
whales. Whaling used to be a big
industry here, and some species of whales such as Southern Right Whales
are still threatened.
By Warren Steptoe. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Northern Bruny Island Tasmania
In the northern end of the island is the small township Barnes Bay, and
north of it are Killora, the small Dennes Hill Nature Reserve, and Cape
the la Sortie. Further south is Miles Beachs near Cape Queen Elisabeth,
the Big Hummock lookout, and the Neck – a narrow isthmus between
northern and southern island. There is a camping site at the Neck
Game Reserve, with toilets and some water.
By Chris Bell. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Bruny Island Ferry
To get to the island, you drive south from Hobart to Kingston, and then
Kettering. There is a vehicular ferry that goes from Kettering to
Roberts Point on northern Bruny Island. The ferry trip takes 15
minutes. From Roberts Point, there is a road to southern parts of the
island.
By Nick Osborne. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Southern Bruny Island Tasmania
Further south, on the eastern coast, is Adventure Bay. It’s a safe area
for swimming, and there are also a few short bushwalks. The Grass Point
Walk (1 ½ hrs return) starts at the entrance to the national park. It
is an easy walk, mainly flat, and follows the coast to Grass Point,
where you can see some remains of a whaling station, and between June
and October, the Southern
Right
Whales that have returned to the bay.
The second walk, the Fluted Cape Walk (2 ½ hrs return), is a steeper
walk that follows the coast and climbs up to the coastal cliffs where
you have some great views of Fluted Cape and
Tasman Peninsula. You can often see
sea eagles here, and
whales in season.
By Richard Bennett. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Southern Bruny Island Tasmania
In the southern end of Bruny Island is the South Bruny National Park.
Cloudy Bay is a great place to surf, and there is also a camping ground
in Cloudy Bay. There are a few bushwalking tracks around in the area,
with some great views of the coastline and cliffs. A four-hour walk
that starts in the end of Cloudy Bay road, goes to East Cloudy Head.
West from Cloudy Bay, there is a walk to the Cape Bruny Lighthouse –
Australia’s second oldest lighthouse; and there is also a six-hour walk
around the Labillardiere Peninsula. The walk starts at the Jetty Beach
campground and does a cirquit around the peninsula. There are some nice
views, a few nice beaches, and you can spot forty-spotted pardalotes on
that walk. At Jetty Beach is the oldest jetty on the island. Other than
camping, places to stay on Bruny Island are
Inala Hotel
and
Port Huon Cottages.
By Geoff Murray. © Tourism Tasmania. All
Rights Reserved
Here's a
Bruny Island map where I have
tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on
the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the
map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move
around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth,
click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
View Bruny Island
in a larger map
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